I have not snatched Sunil from Kapil: Manish Paul

Manish Paul came to HT House to promote his latest film Mickey Virus. (HT photo/Waseem Gashroo)

Popular TV host-turned-actor, Manish Paul has rubbished rumours that he is behind 'poaching' comedian Sunil Grover for an upcoming TV show that he'll be seen anchoring soon.

Sunil's character, Gutthi's exit from Kapil Sharma's standup comedy show was the talk of the town until recently, when Sunil announced that he'll now be a part of another show as a character titled, Chutki.

"I will host the show and Sunil will play different characters in it. We were approached separately by the channel. I have not snatched him from Kapil," says Manish, adding in his inimitable tone, "Agar snatch karna hi hota toh main Yash Raj Films se do chaar picturein na snatch kar leta!"

The 32-year-old actor, who hosted the last season of Jhalak Dikhlaja with Kapil, also refutes rumours about any rivalry between himself and Kapil. "We heard a similar rumour while ­hosting Jhalak, and laughed our hearts out as we ate paranthas made by Kapil's mom," clarifies the Micky Virus actor.

When prodded if actor Elli Avram, his co-star from Micky Virus, has got an extra edge over him in Bollywood for being under actor Salman Khan's shadow now, he says, "I don't think that just having a ­godfather can ensure success here. I mean whether you have a ­godfather or not, mehnat toh bhai karni padegi varna yahan kuch nai milna."

Paul, who's now wrapping up the shoot for his next release, Tere Bin Laden 2, a sequel to the 2010 hit, is also working on his body these days for a special song in the film.

"I will be going ­shirtless for this song, so I am ­really having to work hard on sculpting my body... I used to be this chubby 84kg guy, and I could not even dare to open my T-shirt in front of people," he says, adding in jest, "I am 70kg now and even my wife's friends tell her, 'Hey, your hubby is really hot!'"